MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Health Department will soon introduce an effective and transparent policy governing the referral of patients from secondary-level health facilities to tertiary care and teaching hospitals to curb any practice of directing patients to private clinics.

This was stated by Director General Health Prof Dr Mumtaz Ahmed on Friday after an inquiry was ordered into an alleged referral of a patient from a government hospital to a private clinic.

The inquiry was initiated on the directives of Minister for Health Syed Bazil Ali Naqvi following reports on social media alleging that an ENT specialist at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Athmuqam, had advised a patient to visit a private clinic in Muzaffarabad, where the patient was allegedly asked to pay a substantial fee.

Prof Ahmed said he had directed the Medical Superintendent of the DHQ Hospital to conduct a fact-finding inquiry and submit a detailed report within three days.

“We had already been working on the formulation of a clear and transparent referral mechanism for all government hospitals in the state, and this reported incident has underscored the need to finalise and enforce it without delay,” he told Dawn.

Under the proposed policy, he said, patients from basic health units (BHUs), rural health centres (RHCs) and tehsil headquarters (THQ) hospitals would be referred to district and teaching hospitals strictly in line with the approved procedure. “There will be zero tolerance for any deviation from the referral policy, including misconduct, negligence or abuse of authority,” the DG Health said, adding that compliance would be monitored closely.

He said Prime Minister Raja Faisal Mumtaz Rathore and Minister for Health were committed to strengthening public healthcare delivery and ensuring that patients were treated with dignity and fairness at all facilities. “Our priority is to restore public confidence in government hospitals by ensuring professional conduct and timely access to appropriate treatment,” he added.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2025